Note for Teachers- Scheduling the Cascade People's Center

From Holly at the Cascade People's Center. If you're wanting to facilitate at the Center please let Jessica know asap!



As you know, the CPC auction is quickly approaching (Friday, April 3rd 5--10 pm @ the South Lake Union Armory youcanbuyticketshere, wink) and I am being pulled into the auction frenzy! The success of the auction will determine what our budget for the rest of the year looks like. This, in turn, will influence programs, how many hours we're open, whether we need to start charging for space, etc. Basically, the outcome of the auction is a big deal.

The event is bigger and better than ever, but we have less people here to pull it off. With our smaller staff and growing list of responsibilities, I need to take a short break from booking folks to use the space. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I can't manage the increasing auction workload while remaining responsive and available to you.

Sooooo, here's the new plan. I will be booking the Center for March, April, May, and June dates from now through next Friday (March 6th.) After March 6th, I will not book dates to use the Center until Tuesday, April 7th (after the auction.) I plan to use this upcoming week to schedule out the next few months and answer any questions you may have. After that, until April 7th I will ONLY be available to answer questions/address concerns that are not related to the calendar. Of course, you can book for April, May, and June again once April 7th rolls around.

Our Wordle...

This is apparently what we talk about most on our website...
Seattle Free School's Wordle

Do You Know PHP?

Seattle Free School is looking for someone to help with some very minor php work. Basically just teaching us how to save a page and update pages. If you've got some basic php skills and would like to help let us know by contacting us at seattlefreeschool@gmail.com

Interesting webinars on podcasting, etc...

TechSoup Global and NTEN put on a great round of webinars recently. While all were aimed at nonprofits there's some great basic information on podcasting, video production, etc here so check them out if you're wanting to learn more about these topics.

TechSoup's Blog

Hot Chocolate on the cheap

Well since winter seems to be here to stay here's a cheap recipe for hot chocolate that will help you stay warm with credits to the Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn... a good book to check out if you're looking for ways to save some cash, or just wonder to do with those odd things around the house that you don't want to throw away. (I'm fairly certain Amy throws away NOTHING!). And best yet the Seattle Public Library has it so you can check it out for FREE!!!

1/3 cup dry milk
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 teaspoon sugar
Mix above together and add 1 cup hot water.

This would be great for camping too if you're trying to avoid high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils as most mixes that don't require milk have those things in them. You could also try soy milk powder if you wanted to go vegan.

Give it a try and let us all know what you think! (you may have to fiddle with the recipe a bit if you have a sweeter tooth)

Tiramisu Part 2

Here you go. Between this and the mascarpone you made yourself you will have the best tiramisu you've ever had. It's really quite easy honestly, even the cheese making part so don't let it scare you away!

3 eggs separated
2 cups mascarpone at room temperature
2t vanilla sugar or 1 sachet of vanilla sugar
(note: you can make your own vanilla sugar by placing one vanilla bean into
a jar of sugar- let sit for at least a week)
¾ cup cold, very strong black coffee (instant espresso works great)
¾ cup kahlua or other coffee-flavored liquor
1 large package of ladyfingers (at least 20 total)
unsweetened cocoa powder

Put egg whites into a mixing bowl and whisk until they form medium stiff peaks.
Combine mascarpone, egg yolks and sugar in another bowl.
Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.

Put a few spoonfuls of the mix at the bottom of your serving pan and spread out evenly (a 9x9 glass dish works about right for this)

Pour the coffee and the liquor into a shallow dish and stir to combine.
Dip the first layer of lady fingers quickly (they don’t need to be soaked through) and place on top of the mascarpone in the serving pan next to each other. Tiramisu is sort of like lasagna so basically make a layer of soaked cookies.
Spoon ½ of what you have left of the cheese mix on top of the cookies and spread evenly.
Make another layer of cookies soaking these ones a bit longer (remember, the liquid goes to the bottom, thus no need to soak the bottom layer for too long. Your cookies should never be falling apart on you or you’ve soaked them too much).
Cover this layer with the cheese mix and dust with the cocoa powder.
Cover and let sit in the fridge overnight.

Note: you may need more coffee, liquor or cookies. It’s always a good idea to have extras on hand.

New Class Posted!

Creating Meaningful Success
Time: 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
Location: Queen Anne Library
Success in the 21st Century often comes with a high price tag - disease, dissatisfaction and a feeling of never enough. Explore the cultural scripts that keep you chasing after someone else\'s dreams and start to unravel the fears and self limiting beliefs that keep you stuck. This interactive class will look at the relationship between success and personal fulfillment and get you started on the path to meaningful success in your own life. Perfect for anyone who has been affected by the recent economic crisis as well as those just looking for more in their lives!

Supplies: notebook/pen

Facilitator: Desiree Bryan is a Certified Life Coach and the owner of Life Alignment Coaching. She supports individuals in bringing their outer world into alignment with their inner values so that they can live simply, joyfully and meaningfully.

Register through the classes page here.

Check out this report on our bread class!

Here's a great post on our latest breadmaking class. Thanks Larry!

http://www.lunayapravda.net/20090210/201/

The Best Tiramisu

I often say that I make some of the best tiramisu but honestly it has nothing to do with me or some secret recipe. The key is using mascarpone you make yourself. It's not hard to do and is much less expensive then buying it in a store. So here's the first part in a two part series on making your own best tiramisu...

Mascarpone with tartaric acid

1 quart light cream or half-and-half (you can also use a pint of each).
1/8-1/4 teaspoon tartaric acid

1. Heat cream to 185°F (or more- up to about 200, just make sure it's AT LEAST 185).
2. Add 1/8 teaspoon tartaric acid and stir for several minutes. The mixture will slowly thicken into a runny cream-of-wheat consistency, with tiny flecks of curd. If the cream does not coagulate, add a speck more of the tartaric acid and stir for another 5 minutes. Be careful not to add too much tartaric acid or a grainy texture will result.
3. Line a colander with a double layer of high quality cheesecloth. Pour the curd into the colander and drain for 1 hour for a traditional mascarpone texture. Drain for up to 12 hours in a refrigerator for a whipped cream cheese texture.

If you're worried that you've gotten enough curd and used enough tartaric acid simply drain the first time into another clean pot. If you didn't put enough tartaric in the first time you can just repeat the process with the stuff that drained through.
4. Place the finished cheese in a covered container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: about 1 pound